Serena Williams leaves the court after her defeat in the women’s singles third-round match on day 4 of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games at the Olympic Tennis Centre on Aug. 9, 2016. William Volcov/Brazil Photo Press/LatinContent/Getty Images
Serena Williams will not get the chance to defend her Olympic title after being ousted from the Games Tuesday following an astonishing upset, the Washington Post reports.
In a match against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, Williams was defeated 6-4, 6-3. According to the Post, Williams committed some 37 unforced errors in comparison with Svitolina's 17. Williams also had many more double-faults in the match.
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“Obviously I’m disappointed,” Williams said in a statement, USA Today reports. “The better player won. It was a great opportunity that didn’t work out the way I wanted it to. At least I was able to make Rio, which was one of my goals. It was awesome, but it’s over now.”
This upset comes just days after Williams suffered her first-ever loss in the Olympics in a doubles match played alongside her sister, Venus. The sisters also missed out on defending their title after that loss.
According to USA Today, it will be the first time that Serena Williams will walk away from the Olympics with no medal to show for it.
The loss comes as a surprise, especially since Serena Williams dominated Svitolina at the French Open, securing a 6-1, 6-1 win in June.
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According to the Post, observers noticed that Williams appeared to be struggling with a shoulder injury. In late July, she pulled out of the Rogers Cup in Montreal because of an inflamed shoulder.
